McMurdo Sound in the context of "Fast ice"

77°28′S 162°31′E / 77.467°S 162.517°E / -77.467; 162.517

The McMurdo Dry Valleys are a series of largely snow-free desert valleys on the continental coastline of Victoria Land, Antarctica, east of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet and west of McMurdo Sound and the Ross Sea. The Dry Valleys are notable for being the coldest and driest desert in the world, as well as being the largest ice-free region in Antarctica; as a result, the Valleys have become a notable hotbed for scientific research in the Antarctic region. The Dry Valleys' unique climate is due to their location nestled within the Transantarctic Mountains along with high-pressure katabatic winds that scour away snowfall and humidity across the region. Surrounding mountains prevent the flow of ice from nearby glaciers. The region's geology is primarily granites and gneisses, and glacial tills dot the bedrock landscape, with loose gravel covering the ground. The Valleys are one of the driest places on Earth, though there are several anecdotal accounts of rainfall within the Dry Valleys.

Ross Island is an island in Antarctica lying on the east side of McMurdo Sound and extending 43 nautical miles (80 km; 49 mi) from Cape Bird in the north to Cape Armitage in the south, and a similar distance from Cape Royds in the west to Cape Crozier in the east.The island is entirely volcanic.Mount Erebus, 3,795 metres (12,451 ft), near the center, is an active volcano.Mount Terror, 3,230 metres (10,600 ft) about 20 nautical miles (37 km; 23 mi) eastward, is an extinct volcano. Mount Bird rises to 1,765 metres (5,791 ft) just south of Cape Bird.

Ross Island lies within the boundary of Ross Dependency, an area of Antarctica claimed by New Zealand. However, the claim is currently in abeyance by the International Antarctic Treaty System of 1961. Signatories of this treaty essentially agree that Antarctica is used for peaceful and scientific purposes. The United States and New Zealand each established bases, McMurdo and Scott, in the mid 1950s on Ross Island; the former is now the largest human settlement in Antarctica since its founding. The island is also home to early exploration shacks and memorials including Shackleton's Hut at Cape Royds, Scott's Hut at Cape Evans, and Discovery Hut at Hut Point.

The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914–1917 is considered to be the last major expedition of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Conceived by Sir Ernest Shackleton, the expedition was an attempt to make the first land crossing of the Antarctic continent. After Roald Amundsen's South Pole expedition in 1911, this crossing remained, in Shackleton's words, the "one great main object of Antarctic journeyings". Shackleton's expedition failed to accomplish this objective but became recognised instead as an epic feat of endurance.

Shackleton had served in the Antarctic on the Discovery expedition of 1901–1904 and had led the Nimrod expedition of 1907–1909. In this new venture, he proposed to sail to the Weddell Sea and to land a shore party near Vahsel Bay, in preparation for a transcontinental march via the South Pole to the Ross Sea. A supporting group, the Ross Sea party, would meanwhile establish camp in McMurdo Sound and from there lay a series of supply depots across the Ross Ice Shelf to the foot of the Beardmore Glacier. These depots would be essential for the transcontinental party's survival, as the group would not be able to carry enough provisions for the entire crossing. The expedition required two ships: Endurance under Shackleton for the Weddell Sea party, and Aurora, under Aeneas Mackintosh, for the Ross Sea party.